Long-Term Care Job Duties

As the country’s population ages, more people are turning to long-term care. This sector of the healthcare field meets the older population’s needs while also helping them retain as much independence as possible. Most long-term healthcare facilities offer a wide range of care, from services to help the elderly stay at home to total assisted living at a specialized healthcare facility.

What Is Long-Term Care?

Long-term care isn’t just one type of nursing care; rather, this nursing specialty provides a variety of services, most commonly to elderly patients, to help them stay healthy while retaining their independence. Long-term care may also be offered to people with chronic or ongoing medical conditions.

In some cases, a person’s need for long-term care develops suddenly. Others gradually need more help as they age. Regardless of the patient’s needs, nurses working in LTC careers are there to help.

What Is a Long-Term Care Facility?

Technically speaking, a long-term care facility can be anything from a nursing home to a private residence where a person receives home health care. A long-term care facility refers to a facility designed to provide a suite of services that support a person’s health and/or personal care needs during an extended period of time. In addition to nursing homes, assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities are other examples of long-term care facilities.

What Duties Do You Perform in Long-Term Care Jobs?

As a long-term care nurse, you’ll help patients complete activities of daily living, such as bathing, eating, and dressing. Most patients in long-term care aren’t there for acute or sudden illnesses — because of this, it’s unlikely that you’ll need constant support from other healthcare professionals, like physicians.

A long-term care nurse consistently completes parts of the patient’s predetermined treatment plan. An important aspect of this function is continuously monitoring the patient for any change in their health status. If such a change occurs, it will be your duty to report this to other members of the patient’s healthcare team. Keeping an eye out for such changes requires excellent assessment and observation skills.

In addition to jobs in long-term care for registered nurses, there are jobs in LTC for:

• Certified Medication Aides
• Certified Nursing Assistants
• Home Health Aides
• Home Health Nurses
• Licensed Practical Nurses